Marina jet headed for retirement

In order to begin the Marina Redevelopment Project, the city must first retire this jet that currently is the centerpiece of the marina.

Andrew Wardlow | The News Herald

By Zack McDonald / The News Herald

Published: Monday, January 14, 2013 at 07:45 PM.

PANAMA CITY
— After almost 40 years of service, an icon of downtown soon will go into retirement.

For 51 years, a jet has occupied the marina mall as a symbolic homage to the military. With the Marina Redevelopment Project slated to begin this summer, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) first has a couple of formal steps before proceeding.

“We want to have a nice retirement ceremony for that jet,” said William Whitson, Community Redevelopment Agency director. “We will announce what we are going to do to honor the military and to show that we appreciate and respect the long tenure between the military and the city.”

Removing the F-101 is unavoidable, according to Whitson.

“The F-101 had too many long-term maintenance issues and it didn’t fit the new plan,” Whitson said. “We have new designs on what would be along Memorial Walkway to honor the military.”

Arranging a retirement ceremony is not the only obstacle in relocating the F-101. Disassembling and relocating an almost 68-foot long aircraft with a wingspan of about 40 feet — with an empty weight of 28,495 pounds — is not only difficult, it is expensive, and the city may have to pay up.

PANAMA CITY — After almost 40 years of service, an icon of downtown soon will go into retirement.

For 51 years, a jet has occupied the marina mall as a symbolic homage to the military. With the Marina Redevelopment Project slated to begin this summer, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) first has a couple of formal steps before proceeding.

“We want to have a nice retirement ceremony for that jet,” said William Whitson, Community Redevelopment Agency director. “We will announce what we are going to do to honor the military and to show that we appreciate and respect the long tenure between the military and the city.”

Removing the F-101 is unavoidable, according to Whitson.

“The F-101 had too many long-term maintenance issues and it didn’t fit the new plan,” Whitson said. “We have new designs on what would be along Memorial Walkway to honor the military.”

Arranging a retirement ceremony is not the only obstacle in relocating the F-101. Disassembling and relocating an almost 68-foot long aircraft with a wingspan of about 40 feet — with an empty weight of 28,495 pounds — is not only difficult, it is expensive, and the city may have to pay up.

“That was part of the discussion at one time, but we are trying to see if they will bare that cost,” Whitson said, referring to discussions with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. “We are keeping our fingers crossed it will be as easy as us providing a forklift and them taking it from there … so we can place our funds into the new memorial instead of into removing the old one.”

If not, the cost could range as high as $40,000.

The first jet to arrive at the marina came in 1962.

“Originally there was an F-86 jet put there in the mid-’60s,” said Neil Fravel, public works director. “In the mid-’70s they wanted that one back and swapped it for this one, which is an F-101.”

So, Tyndall Air Force Base sent the jet via a barge and set it where it is now.

The F-101 became the responsibility of Panama City when the Air Force donated one from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in October 1976.

“It was a flying jet at one time,” Fravel said. “Tyndall until the late ’70s was an air defense base where they trained air defense pilots. I’m sure that one was used to train pilots.”

Details on the history of the jet are scarce, unlike the F-101 at Gulf Coast State College, though they were donated as a pair.

Both F-101s have remained the property of the Air Force museum, with the city as the custodian of the property.

On March 11, 2008, commissioners approved the removal of the static display of the F-101. In 2010, City Manager Ken Hammons sent a letter to the NationalMuseum of the USAF stating the aircraft was “in excess to the city’s needs” and the city had “no intention of renewing the lease” that expired in March 2011.

A retirement ceremony date has not been finalized, but Whitson said the CRA is working with BayCounty’s Military Affairs Committee to outline the retirement ceremony.

“It is going to have to be done by the summer when the construction starts,” Whitson said.